The ongoing battle between Halloween and oral health - but who is the winner?

View PDF | Print View
by: John Kingsley
Total views: 12
Word Count: 556
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 Time: 7:19 AM
0 comments

For decades now, Halloween has been characterised by pumpkins, witches and zombies and an abundance of sweets. It seems to be a harmless pastime, going trick-or-treating and raking in mountains of goodies, but are parents aware of how many sweets children actually acquire on Halloween?

Kidshealth.org polled about 1,200 kids and asked them about their average Halloween hoards. Over 44 percent of the kids polled said they received more than 100 pieces of candy, with most saying they received about 50 pieces. Of that lot, only 20 percent of children said they were able to eat all of their sweets.

For about a month, the kids gorge on their sweets, attempting to finish them all, they reported. What's worse is that the kids report having eaten so many sweets on Halloween and the days following that they got sick with headaches or stomach aches and had to go to bed early.

Although handing out sweets to the little ghosts and goblins on your doorstep is a Halloween tradition, many parents and kids are opting for alternative goodies such as pencils and stickers. The list of Halloween sweets alternatives is endless, which means you can get really creative with what you hand out this year. First, let's assess the importance of opting for healthier goodies this Halloween.

Why Hand Out Alternatives to Sweets

In 2007, a dental study reported that tooth decay was on the rise in children aged 2 to 5(MSNBC). From 1988-1994, the percentage of children with cavities increased by 4 percent from 1999-2004. Conductors of the study were especially concerned because the presence of cavities in baby teeth makes children more likely to have tooth decay when they receive their adult teeth.

An overabundance of sugar not only affects children's teeth, it also affects their weight. In the past few decades, childhood obesity has increased by 4 percent around the world, threatening the lives of the world's children. According to a report released in September 2010 by the NHS, children under the age of 16 are the second most affected age group for obesity, following middle-aged adults. The number of obese children has more than trebled from 1998/1999 to 2008/2009, the health service reports.

Sweets Alternative Ideas

As we briefly mentioned, there are a variety of sweets alternatives you can hand out on Halloween. Children would be excited to receive small toys such as yo-yos and bouncy balls, and for younger children you could hand out tubes of bubbles. Children like bright colours and they enjoy making things so why not hand out small containers of Play-Doh or packs of multi-coloured paper? Don't forget the always-popular temporary tattoo. Crayons and small colouring books would also be an option for Halloween sweets alternatives.
If you want to stick with the theme of handing out edible goodies, however, dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas, apricots and apples would be excellent choices. They are healthier for children while maintaining a sweet flavour that would remind them of candy. You could also hand out carrot batons, apples, and oranges and other fruit. Cheese and crackers would also make healthy, kid-friendly alternatives to Halloween sweets. Of course, if you feel like you must hand out candy, you can easily purchase sugar free sweets such as gummies and hard boiled candies.

About the Author

If you are feeling the consequences of one too many sweet treats during Halloween then skye dental group can offer you a range of restorative treatments to get you back in shape, including the greatly popular implants glasgow and many more.